How to hook up a graphic equalizer

How to hook up a graphic equalizer

Dear Experts,

Having found a reboxed unit for a great price, I leapt at the opportunity to buy a Behringer FBQ1502HD equalizer. But when I got it and saw the inputs and outputs, it was quite different from the equalizer I bought decades ago.

I expected a series of RCA inputs and outputs, but what I got were semi-strangely labeled XLR and stereo jack connectors (photo attached, I hope). Clearly this unit was meant more for recording than playing music through a stereo system. Someone said they used XLR to RCA cables to do that in an Amazon review and that looks like my best bet here.

But in a perfect world, everything would run through the equalizer into my Denon receiver. And by "everything" I mean:

1. A turntable which runs through a tube pre-amp
2. The Tivo unit
3. An Amazon Alexa
4. A Pioneer cassette player
5. A 400 CD changer

If it comes down to it, connecting the turntable through the equalizer is the most important thing. So, let's break this down to 3 questions:

1. Are XLR to RCA cables my best bet to use the equalizer with the turntable?

2. Is there an efficient way to run all of the above items through the equalizer?

3. And If anyone can generally explain the inputs/outputs on the back I'd be thrilled.

2.) Devices>Some sort of RCA switch>eq>receiver. Alternatively, you could run Devices>Receiver>eq>amp/speakers, but it depends on the receiver. Are you sure you actually need the eq though? The feedback detection should be a moot point when it comes to playback. Your receiver should have some sort of eq\room calibration tool built in anyway to deal with room acoustics.

3.) It's a stereo\dual-mono eq. It has TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) inputs and outputs, and XLR input and outputs. Both of these sets of IO are balanced, (tip carries +ve signal, ring carries -ve signal, sleeve is ground,) which means the audio signal can be run for hundreds of meters without interference. This is especially useful in live audio, when the eq unit might be a long way away from the amps (or the microphones are a long way away from the mixer,) and subject to picking up EMI along the way. By comparison, your RCA connections can be thought of as TS: unbalanced (tip carries +ve, sleeve is ground, there is no -ve.) An unbalanced signal can only run a few meters before interference becomes a problem. Both the TRS and XLR connections are different pinouts of the same thing and are wired in parallel. XLR>TRS for all sorts of reasons. The sub out and associated XO pot is there if you have a dedicated subwoofer: it mono sums and crosses over the low end to the sub out, and the high end to the out1+2 sockets. TBH this eq is more suited to live work than a home theatre setup.